Source: Al Arabiya
Security & Justice
Captured Hezbollah Operative May Have Been Israeli Double Agent, Report Suggests
The alleged senior Hezbollah operative abducted by Israeli special forces last week in Batroun may have been operating as a double agent, according to a report by The Telegraph.
Monday, November 4, 2024
Lebanon’s Probe into Israeli Raid Expected to Take Days as Security Officials Weigh Theories
Lebanese authorities are ramping up investigations into an Israeli commando raid last week in the northern coastal city of Batroun, during which Imad Amhaz, a Hezbollah official, was snatched.
Monday, November 4, 2024
Opinion
The Emptying of Baalbek Is a Moment to Take Stock
“Large numbers of people continue to flee their homes every day, as Israel’s military operations in Lebanon have been going on unabated.” These disturbing words could be from almost any news report about Israel’s invasion of its northern neighbour over the past month. However, they can be found in a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre issued on July 27, 2006.
Saturday, November 2, 2024
A Future Without Hezbollah
At the end of September, when Israel’s campaign to destroy Hezbollah was reaching its height, I met one of the group’s supporters in a seaside café in western Beirut. He was a middle-aged man with a thin white beard and the spent look of someone who had not slept for days. He was an academic of sorts, not a fighter, but his ties to Hezbollah were deep and long-standing.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Sports
Tottenham Forward Son Heung-min Crowned Asia’s International Player of the Year
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min was crowned as Asia’s International Player of the Year for the fourth time by the Asian Football Confederation at its annual awards ceremony Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Real Madrid Launch Investigation into Racist Insults After El Clasico Defeat
Real Madrid has launched an investigation into racist insults directed at players during Saturday’s 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in LaLiga, it said on Sunday.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Tuesday 27 September 2022 18:56:52
US Navy Says It Seized $85 Million Worth of Heroin in Gulf of Oman With Saudi-Led Team
The US Navy said Tuesday that it seized $85 million worth of heroin from a fishing vessel, making it the biggest illegal drug interdiction in the Middle East by international naval forces this year.
“A US Coast Guard fast response cutter seized an estimated $85 million worth of heroin from a fishing vessel while patrolling the Gulf of Oman, Sept. 27, representing the largest illegal drug interdiction in the Middle East by international naval forces this year,” the Navy said in a statement.
An estimated 2,410 kilograms of heroin were on the fishing vessel transiting international waters.
The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a naval force of 34 member nations, was responsible for the interdiction. These forces operate in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Gulf, and Indian Ocean.
Saudi Arabia’s Royal Navy is currently in command of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, which falls under the CMF.
“This sizable seizure demonstrates a profound commitment among our international partners to disrupting and deterring destabilizing activity in the region,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, US 5th Fleet and CMF.
He added: “I am proud of the flawless efforts by CMF, the Saudi-led CTF 150 team, and the Charles Moulthrope crew.”
Although the US Navy did not specify where the ship was heading or where it came from, the CMF has been working to stop the illicit arms and drug trade in the region. Iran or groups and militias it backs have been behind multiple intercepted shipments.
Earlier this month, the US Navy publicly confirmed that an Iranian warship seized and detained two US unmanned surface vessels in the Red Sea. This came two days after Iran tried and failed to seize a similar vessel in the Gulf.
